8.  INTERNET Versus DIALUP OPERATIONS

(Last review and update:  February 1, 2006)


1.  Security

AKSYS provides acknowledgements at both, its dial-up system and this Website. All transmitters have a current file of acknowledgements on the dial-up system and each transmitter has a page at this Website. Each transmitter should advise AKSYS when he signs up for service, or confirms a previous signup, if he wants his current acknowledgement file at this site, also.

AKSYS's dial-up system is very secure.  There is no opportunity for a caller to browse.  A caller gets only a few seconds to identify himself with his access code, and if he fails to identify himself -- or if he enters an incorrect access code -- AKSYS will disconnect. It is extremely unlikely that a file of acknowledgements could be intercepted in a transmission between AKSYS and a transmitter:  It is illegal to tap telephone lines, yours or ours.  It is neither illegal nor difficult for a person to download the contents of an entire Website including all the files, databases, private directories, etc.  If something is at a site, it can be downloaded.

The Internet, because it is so public, raises security considerations not found with most dial-up systems.  It is no accident that the software you use to connect with a site on the Internet is called a "browser". Although we will not discuss specific security vulnerabilities, transmitters can be sure that security always is of great concern to AKSYS, whether on its dial-up system or here, on the Web. It concerns us so much that we discuss it first in this section.

In order for AKSYS to make certain that one transmitter's acknowledgement file is absolutely secure from another transmitter, it would be necessary for AKSYS to use security features not only between a transmitter's browser and our server (SSL), but also to encrypt all of the transmitters' acknowledgement files at this site, a task that we have decided not to undertake at this time.

We feel that acknowledgement files do not contain material that requires protection by encryption. The security level of any system need not be greater than the importance of the material it secures, and the files on this site do not contain names, addresses, credit card information -- or other personal information except social security numbers imbedded inside of each acknowledgement.  Each file contains a transmitter' s information (accounting) record, but since the identity of the company to which the information record pertains would not be known, the information is of little importance except to the company to which it does pertain.

Transmitters who are concerned about having their acknowledgement files in plain text at this Website should elect to have a file only on the dial-up system and to not to have a copy of the acknowledgement file at this site.


2.  Access Codes

At its dial-up system, AKSYS will accept the access code that it assigned to you.  At this site, that code will not be valid. Instead, at this site a transmitter will use the area code plus the last four digits of the telephone number he provided to AKSYS when he signed up for service. Using separate codes for each system prevents someone who downloads our entire Website from obtaining the access codes for the dial-up system.
 
3.  Retrieving an Acknowledgement File From This Site.

 
All transmitters who are signed up with AKSYS have a page at this site. If you requested that a copy of your current acknowledgement file also be placed at this site, you can access the file directly or through your page. The name of your page is the area code of the telephone number you provided when you signed up + the last four digits of the telephone number + .htm.  For example: If the number you provided when you signed up was 999 123-4567 the name of your page would be 9994567.htm and the name of your acknowledgement file would be 999456701.txt.  You can go directly to your page or to your file by entering the name of the page or the file after this site address in the address box of your browser.  Using the example provided above, the address box then would read http://gacaksys.com/9994567.htm or http://gacaksys.com/999456701.txt (or http://gacaksys.com/999456711.txt for a file of Form 1065 acknowledgements).

If you have more than one cell (mailbox), but only one telephone number for all of them, AKSYS will use the area code + the last four digits provided for the first cell.  For the others cells, the access codes will have the same last four digits, but the second character of the area code portion will be changed to a letter.  A transmitter with telephone number (123) 456-7890 could have the following pages at this site.

                                                 1237890.htm          file name would be 123789001.txt
                                                 1a37890.htm          file name would be 1a3789001.txt
                                                 1x37890.htm           file name would be 1x3789001.txt  
                                                  etc.

The above filenames would apply to a transmitter's state acknowledgements for personal income tax returns. The filenames for the same transmitter's acknowledgements for state form 1065 returns would be 

                                                
1237890.htm          file name would be 123789011.txt
                                                 1a37890.htm          file name would be 1a3789011.txt
                                                 1x37890.htm           file name would be 1x3789011.txt  
                                                  etc.

 

At your page, you can request the reposting of acknowledgments, and you can link to your current acknowledgement file.

However, if you requested that your acknowledgement file not be placed here at the site, there will be no hyperlink at the acknowledgement file button at your page and there will be only a dummy file at this site.